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U-2 spy plane pilot makes history at Beale AFB

Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal, a U.S. Air Force U-2 spy plane pilot, is making history at Beale Air Force Base, becoming the first and only African American woman to fly the stealth plane.

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Updated: 9:27 AM PST Feb 14, 2015

U-2 spy plane pilot makes history at Beale AFB

Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal, a U.S. Air Force U-2 spy plane pilot, is making history at Beale Air Force Base, becoming the first and only African American woman to fly the stealth plane.

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Updated: 9:27 AM PST Feb 14, 2015

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WEBVTT THE RIDER IS OKAY TONIGHT. VERY LUCKY. THE U.S. AIR FORCE'S U-2 SPY PLANE HAS BEEN FLYING IN THE SKIES OVER CALIFORNIA SINCE IT FIRST BECAME ACTIVE IN 1955 THAT'S SIXTY YEARS AGO. AND IN ALL THAT TIME THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN ONE THOUSAND U-2 PILOTS. AND ONLY ONE AFRICAN-AMERICAN FEMALE. KCRA-3'S MIKE CARROLL INTRODUCES US TO LT. COL. MERRYL TENGESDAL. TENGESDAL WAS RECENTLY PROMOTED TO COLONEL AT BEALE. YOU SEE THE EARTH GETTING SMALL. YOU ARE LIKE, I AM REALLY FAR UP. THIS IS WHAT SHE THINKS WHEN SHE FLIES HIGH. 60,000 FEET. 11 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH. TWICE THE HEIGHT OF THE EVEREST. SHE CAN FLY TWO MILES HIGHER THAN THAT. I AM STARTING TO LEAVE A PLANET I HAVE JUST BEEN BORN AND RAISED IN. SHE WORE HER FIRST UNIFORM AS A HELICOPTER PILOT. I AM A NAVY PERSON. SHE TRANSFERRED TO THE AIR FORCE TO FLY THE U2. THE CLASSIC PLANE STILL FLYING MISSIONS. YOU CAN'T MESS WITH PERFECTION. I WAS WANTED TO BE A NASA ASTRONAUT. THIS IS WHAT HAS DRIVEN ME. TO FLY MISSIONS ON THE EDGE OF SPACE. EVERY MISSION A U-2 PILOT FLIES IS CLASSIFIED. EACH MISSION IS FLOWN AT ALTITUDES THAT EVEN IN A PRESSURIZED FLIGHT SUIT OUR INTEREST -- ARE ENDURANCE TESTS FOR THE BODY. THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL PRESSURES. SHE HAS PILOTED A PLANE TO THE EDGE OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, HIGHER THAN ANY OTHER AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN. WHEN I WAS LOOKING OUTSIDE, I SAW A SHOOTING STAR THAT WENT UNDER MY AIRCRAFT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST MOMENTS. I AM LIKE, THIS IS KIND OF BAD RIGHT NOW. HER HEART IS NAVY BUT HER SOUL FLIES AT THE BORDERS OF THE HEAVENS. IF YOU LIKE MY HARD WORK PAID OFF. IT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING.

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U-2 spy plane pilot makes history at Beale AFB

Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesdal, a U.S. Air Force U-2 spy plane pilot, is making history at Beale Air Force Base, becoming the first and only African American woman to fly the stealth plane.